Animal food stuff press

ABSTRACT

The press having within a cylindrical press housing a central power-driven barrel matrix and a plurality of mutually spaced press rollers engaging the outer periphery of the barrel matrix whereby the pivot axes of the barrel matrix and of the rollers are parallel to each other. Press feed may be introduced into the press through a feed hopper mounted on top of the press housing and having a central inlet connection. The press feed is guided towards the several squeezing zones defined between barrel matrix and each of the press rollers by means of arcuately shaped bars and arcuate pickup devices extending from the press housing wall towards the barrel matrix. The press feed, after passing through perforations in the periphery of the barrel matrix, will be discharged centrally of the barrel matrix.

United States Patent 1 Raydt 1 1 Mar. 27, 1973 [54] ANIMAL FOOD STUFF PRESS Jost-Hinrich Raydt, Bei den Muhren 91, 2000 Hamburg 11, Germany [22] Filed: Aug. 11, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 170,946

[76] Inventor:

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data June 15, 1971 Germany ..P 21 29 532.9

[52] US. Cl ..425/331 [51] Int. Cl. ..B29h 3/012 [58] Field of Search ..425/33l, 314

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,427,644 9/1947 Field ..425/314 X 3,581,678 6/1971 Landers ..425/33l X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 632,705 7/1936 Germany ..425/331 568,000 12/1958 Canada ..425/331 Primary Examiner-J. Spencer Overholser Assistant Examiner-David S. Safran Att0rneyDavid Toren et al.

[57] ABSTRACT The press having within a cylindrical press housing a central power-driven barrel matrix and a plurality of mutually spaced press rollers engaging the outer periphery of the barrel matrix whereby the pivot axes of the barrel matrix and of the rollers are parallel to each other. Press feed may be introduced into the press through a feed hopper mounted on top of the press housing and having a central inlet connection. The press feed is guided towards the several squeezing zones defined between barrel matrix and each of the press rollers by means of arcuately shaped bars and arcuate pickup devices extending from the press housing wall towards the barrel matrix. The press feed, after passing through perforations in the periphery of the barrel matrix, will be discharged centrally of the barrel matrix.

6 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATEMEDHARNIQB SHEET 1 BF 3 //7 rev/0r,

PATENTEUMARZYIUB $723,042

SHEET 2 OF 3 1051' mun/an 2mm,

81 @HMML W Qm/W WW I ANIMAL FOOD STUFF PRESS DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a press for animal foodstuffs having a cylindrical press housing with a vertical wall, a feed hopper mounted on top of the press housing, a rotatably mounted power-driven barrel matrix for pressing the press feed, the wall of the barrel matrix being provided with a plurality of perforations, and several driven roller bodies, the pivot axes of each roller body extending parallel to the vertical pivot axis of the barrel matrix. 4

For the processing of pressed animal food-stuffs it is known to employ pan grinder type presses, so-called kollergangs, as well as widely differing types of presses havingannular, disk or plate shaped matrices. In these types of presses, the-grinder rollers are disposed within a barrel shaped matrix, and the press feed is introduced into the inner space defined by the barrel matrix so that the efficiency of such a type of press is rather restricted. In most cases it is moreover impossible to readily replace the grinder rollers or runner stones. Additionally, in the prior art presses such rollers are subject to an extremely rapid wear.

There are known various types of animal food-stuff presses having a rotating barrel matrix having perforations in the matrix wall and several driven roller bodies with their axes of rotation parallel to the barrel pivot axis whereby the rollers are mutually spaced around the inner peripheryof the barrel and are operatively coupled to the barrel matrix. In all of these prior art presses, however, the roller bodies are arranged within the inner space defined by the hollow cylindrical barrel matrix in such a manner that the roller bodies roll on the inner wall surface of the barrel matrix. This arrangement of the roller bodies within the barrel matrix entails the drawback that only a limited number of roller bodies may be provided, i.e., the number of roller bodies is dependent upon the diameter of the barrel matrix. If the barrel matrix is of a relatively small diameter, only two or maybe three roller bodies may be accommodated within the barrel matrix when it is desired to maintain a sufficiently high efficiency of the food-stuff press. When the number of roller bodies within the barrel matrix is increased the barrel diameter must be correspondingly increased resulting in relatively high costs of manufacture.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a press for animal food-stuffs which may be manufactured economically, has a high efficiency and may be provided in various sizes without thereby interfering with the efficiency of the press.

For achieving the stated object, there is proposed a press for animal food-stuffs of a type set forth above which press is characterized, in accordance with the present invention, in that the roller bodies are mutually spaced around the outer periphery of the barrel matrix, the barrel matrix is closed at its upwardly facing side and is mounted on the upper side of a rotatably mounted horizontal annular disk which is adapted to seal the space formed between the barrel matrix and the vertical wall of the press housing, the disk adapted to rotate on the vertical pivot axis of the barrel matrix and including at its surface facing the barrel matrix several mutually spaced vertical entraining and skidding bars extending arcuately from the outer circumference of the disk towards the barrels matrix, in a plane below the plane of the roller bodies, and that several pickup means the number of which corresponds to the number of roller bodies are disposed around the circumference of the barrel matrix in an intake zone for the press feed defined by the barrel matrix and the roller bodies, each pickup means including an arcuately shaped vertical guide plate mounted at the vertical wall of the press housing and extending arcuately towards the intake zone of an associated roller body, the vertical extension of the guide plate corresponding approximately to the height of a roller body whereby each guide plate is provided at its upper and lower edges respectively with flanges extending perpendicular to the guide plate body.

According to another feature of the present invention, the barrel matrix is provided in its outer peripheral wall at the portion having the perforations therein with a peripheral groove-shaped recess the vertical extension of which approximately corresponds to the vertical extension of the roller bodies so that portions of the roller bodies may be guided within this recess thus preventing the press feed from escaping upwardly or downwardly. This arrangement assures a higher throughput of press feed through the press.

In the following, a preferred embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the appended drawings wherein FIG. 1 is a lateral view, partly in elevation and partly in a vertical cross-section, of a press for animal foodstuffs constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the press shown in FIG. 1 wherein the feed hopper has been removed;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one of the entraining and skidding bars mounted on the supporting disk;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional elevational view of the press showing pickup means at the intake zone of a roller body;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the pickup means; and

FIG. 6 shows partly in elevation and partly in a vertical cross-sectional view a modified embodiment of the barrel matrix having a groove-shaped recess at its outer periphery in the region of the barrel matrix perforations.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrating a preferred embodiment of a press for animal food-stuffs according to the invention the numeral 10 indicates a hollow cylindrical press housing having a vertical wall 11, a top peripheral edge 12 and a bottom plate 13. The press feed is introduced through a feed hopper 14 in the direction of the arrow x, and the feed hopper 14 is provided with an inlet connection 15 for the press feed. The inlet connection 15 is located approximately in the center of the feed hopper 14.

A power-driven supporting element 20 is journalled in the bottom plate 13. The drive means for the supporting element is not shown in the drawing. An annular disk 21 is mounted on the supporting element 20, and a barrel matrix 22 is in turn mounted on the disk 21. The vertical wall of the barrel matrix 22 is provided with a plurality of perforations 23 perpendicular to the vertical pivot axis of the barrel matrix. The interior space of the barrel matrix 22 is indicated by the reference numeral 24, and the barrel matrix is closed at its top by a cover plate 28. The interior space 24 communicates with an opening 25 in the disk 21, and through this opening with a bore 26 of the supporting element 20 (FIG. 1). The external diameter of the barrel matrix 22, the diameter of the opening 25 of the annular disk 21 and the diameter of the bore 26 of the supporting element 20 are equal. The opening 25 and the bore 26 serve to guide the pressed material in the direction of the arrow X,. The annular disk 21 seals the space 27 between the barrel matrix 22 and the vertical wall 11 of the housing (FIG. 4).

Two roller bodies 30, 31 are mounted by means of bearing blocks 32, 33 respectively at the press housing 10.

The roller bodies 30, 31 of which the pivot axes are indicated at 34, 35 (FIG. 1) are arranged opposite to each other and each roller body is provided with profiles at its periphery. The roller bodies 30, 31 may be driven independently of the barrel matrix 22 of or may alternately be driven by the barrel matrix 22. In the latter case, the roller bodies 30, 31 roll on the outer surface of the rotating barrel matrix 22. The roller bodies 30, 31 have the function .of press rollers. Press feed entering the intake zone E between the roller bodies 30, 31 and the barrel matrix 22 will be picked up by the roller bodies 30, 31 when the barrel matrix 22 rotates and will be pressed by the roller bodies 30, 31 through the perforations 23 in the barrel matrix 22, and

the press feed passing through these perforations 23 will be discharged downwardly from the interior space 24 of the barrel matrix 22.

For assuring the correct feeding of the press feed towards the roller'bodies 30, 31, several entraining and skidding bars 40, 41, 42, 43, 44 are arranged on the annular disk 21. The bars 40-44 preferably consist of angle section bars that are attached to the annular disk surface 21a facing the barrel matrix 22 (FIGS. 2 and 3). These entraining and skidding bars 40-44 have an arcuate shape and extend from the vertical housing wall 11 of the press housing 10 in the direction of the barrel matrix 22 as may be seen in FIG. 2. The press feed supplied to the annular disk 21 which may rotate in the direction of the arrow y will be entrained by the entraining and skidding bars 40-44 and be thrown into the intake zone E between the roller bodies 30, 31 respectively and the barrel matrix 22.

For directing a maximum amount of press feed towards the roller bodies 30, 31, pickup devices 50, 51 are respectively provided at the intake zone E. Each pickup device 50, 51 consists of an approximately arcuately shaped vertical guide plate 52 having at its upper and lower ends a flange 53, 54 respectively extending perpendicularly of the plate and being tapered towards the intake zone B. These pickup devices 50, 51 are mounted at their one ends at the press housing 10 or the vertical wall 11 thereof whereas the free ends of the pickup devices 50, 51 end at the intake zone E (FIG.

5). The vertical extension of the guide plates 52 of the pickup devices 50, 51 corresponds approximately to the vertical extension of the roller bodies 30, 31.

The number of pickup devices 50, 51 depends upon the number of roller bodies employed. Due to the fact that the roller bodies 30, 31 are arranged around the outer periphery of the barrel matrix 22, any number of roller bodies compatible with the diameter of the barrel matrix 22 may be employed. By arranging the roller bodies around the outer periphery of the barrel matrix 22 it is possible to arrange a plurality of roller bodies around the matrix even if the matrix has a relatively 5 small diameter, thus increasing the efficiency of the machine. Any number of entraining and skidding bars on'the annular disk 21 supporting the barrel matrix 22 may be selected.

For assuring a satisfactory lead-in of the press feed towards the roller bodies 30, 31 and the barrel matrix 22 the cover plate 28 of the barrel matrix 22 is preferably cone-shaped as indicated by the dashed line 28a in FIG. 1 so that press feed fed centrally towards the barrel matrix 22 may be deflected sideways towards the roller bodies 30, 31, i.e., towards the entraining and skidding bars 40-44.

The pressing effect exerted by the roller bodies 30, 31 may be increased substantially if the periphery 22a of the barrel matrix 22 is'provided according to the present invention with a peripheral groove-shaped recess 36 at the wall portion in which the perforations 23 are arranged. The vertical extension of the recess 36 corresponds approximately to the vertical extension of the roller bodies 30, 31. Due to this arrangement, a lateral press-out of the press feed, i.e., the escaping of the press feed at the upper and lower edges of the roller bodies 30, 31 will be prevented. I

As may thus be seen, the present invention has provided an improved press for animal food-stuffs in which the roller bodies are disposed around the outer periphery of the barrel matrix and in which the press feed will be fed directly towards the roller bodies, thus rendering possible an increased operation efficiency of the press.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been described for purposes of illustration, it will be understood that it is contemplated that many changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A press for animal food-stuffs having a cylindrical press housing with a vertical wall, a feed hopper mounted on top of the press housing, a rotatably mounted power-driven barrel matrix for pressing the press feed, the wall of the barrel matrix being provided with a plurality of perforations, and several driven roller bodies, the pivot axis of each roller body extending parallel to the vertical pivot axis of the barrel matrix, said press characterized in that the roller bodies are mutually spaced around the outer periphery of the barrel matrix, the barrel matrix is closed at its upwardly facing side and is mounted on the upper side of a rotatably mounted horizontal annular disk which is adapted to seal the space between the barrel matrix and the vertical wall of the press housing, the disk adapted to rotate on the vertical pivot axis of the barrel matrix and including at its surface facing the barrel matrix several mutually spaced vertical entraining and skidding bars extending arcuately from the outer circumference of the disk towards the barrel matrix, in a plane below the plane of the roller bodies, and that several pickup means the number of which corresponds to the number of roller bodies disposed around the circumference of the barrel matrix are located in an intake zone for the press feed defined by the barrel matrix and the roller bodies, each pickup means including an arcuately shaped vertical guide plate mounted at the vertical wall of the press housing and extending arcuately towards the intake zone of an associated roller body, the vertical extension of the guide plate corresponding approximately to the height of a roller body whereby each guide plate is provided at its upper and lower edges respectively with flanges extending perpendicularly to the guide plate body.

2. A press as defined in claim 1 wherein the annular disk carrying the entraining and skidding bars is provided with a center circular opening having a diameter which is equal to the internal diameter of the barrel matrix.

3. A press as defined in claim 1 0r 2 wherein the flanges of the pickup means are tapered towards the free ends of the guide plates.

4. A press as defined in any of claims l-3 wherein the barrel matrix is provided in its outer peripheral wall at the wall portion having the perforations therein with a peripheral groove-shaped recess the vertical extension of which approximately corresponds to the vertical extension of the roller bodies.

5. A press as defined in any of claims 1-4 wherein the barrel matrix is sealed at its upper side by means of a cover plate.

6. A press as defined in any of claims 1-5 wherein the cover plate of the barrel matrix is provided with a coneshaped skirt. 

1. A press for animal food-stuffs having a cylindrical press housing with a vertical wall, a feed hopper mounted on top of the press housing, a rotatably mounted power-driven barrel matrix for pressing the press feed, the wall of the barrel matrix being provided with a plurality of perforations, and several driven roller bodies, the pivot axis of each roller body extending parallel to the vertical pivot axis of the barrel matrix, said press characterized in that the roller bodies are mutually spaced around the outer periphery of the barrel matrix, the barrel matrix is closed at its upwardly facing side and is mounted on the upper side of a rotatably mounted horizontal annular disk which is adapted to seal the space between the barrel matrix and the vertical wall of the press housing, the disk adapted to rotate on the vertical pivot axis of the barrel matrix and including at its surface facing the barrel matrix several mutually spaced vertical entraining and skidding bars extending arcuately from the outer circumference of the disk towards the barrel matrix, in a plane below the plane of the roller bodies, and that several pickup means the number of which corresponds to the number of roller bodies disposed around the circumference of the barrel matrix are located in an intake zone for the press feed defined by the barrel matrix and the roller bodies, each pickup means including an arcuately shaped vertical guide plate mounted at the vertical wall of the press housing and extending arcuately towards the intake zone of an associated roller body, the vertical extension of the guide plate corresponding approximately to the height of a roller body whereby each guide plate is provided at its upper and lower edges respectively with flanges extending perpendicularly to the guide plate body.
 2. A press as defined in claim 1 wherein the annular disk carrying the entraining and skidding bars is provided with a center circular opening having a diameter which is equal to the internal diameter of the barrel matrix.
 3. A press as defined in claim 1 or 2 wherein the flanges of the pickup means are tapered towards the free ends of the guide plates.
 4. A press as defined in any of claims 1-3 wherein the barrel matrix is provided in its outer peripheral wall at the wall portion having the perforations therein with a peripheral groove-shaped recess the vertical extension of which approximately corresponds to the vertical extension of the roller bodies.
 5. A press as defined in any of claims 1-4 wherein the barrel matrix is sealed at its upper side by means of a cover plate.
 6. A press as defined in any of claims 1-5 wherein the cover plate of the barrel matrix is provided with a cone-shaped skirt. 